Shivamogga, January 4: A 25-year-old software engineer was looking for sex workers online when he got a call from someone who said he was a broker. The caller tricked him into paying Rs 48,500 in multiple installments to arrange a meeting with a girl, but he never delivered on his promise. The victim filed a complaint with HAL police, saying he had found the broker’s number on a classified ads website and contacted him on WhatsApp.

According to a report published by the Times of India, Sanjay (name changed), an engineer living in a PG in Kundalahalli and working for a private company, was duped of Rs 48,500 when he was trying to book a sex worker online. He later got a call from a man who identified himself as a pimp and asked him to pay the money in multiple transactions to get him to meet a girl. However, the fraudster cheated him. Reportedly, Sanjay found a contact number in a classified ads portal and tried to contact him through WhatsApp. Cyber Fraud in Bengaluru: Engineer Shares OTPs With ‘Buyer’ While Trying to Sell Used Bed Online, Loses Rs 68 Lakh.

Sanjay received a message from someone who offered him a two-hour session for Rs 4,000 after he tried to call a number he found online. He accepted the offer and followed the live location to a place near Brigade Tech Park in Brookefield. The person on the phone asked Sanjay to pay Rs 5,500 for the girl’s safety and other charges. He and his accomplices made Sanjay transfer the money through a digital payment app. Cyber Fraud in Bengaluru: IT Professor Falls Prey to Click-to-Earn Scam, Loses Rs 5.2 Lakh.

As per the report, the fraudsters also took Rs 11,000 and Rs 25,000 from him for different reasons. When they wanted more money, Sanjay understood that he was scammed. He had lost Rs 48,500, and the girl was nowhere to be seen. A case has been registered against unknown person(s) under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the IT Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2024 09:32 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).